The MTV Europe 'Download Bar' acknowledges illegal file-sharing as damning to a musician's career.
The print ad is a remarkably clever play on the download bar that we see all too often when obtaining music from the Internet. The normally green or blue 'progress' bar features a mob of laptop-wielding and iPod-brandishing fans that bulldoze their way through the gray crowd of flailing artists. Metaphorically, the ad appraises the practice of downloading as counterintuitive and non-supportive behavior. This is a controversial topic, as others would argue that downloading actually helps a musician's career. Since people all over the world can download music, it gives bigger audiences access to the content, potentially spreading the popularity of a song or musician quicker. With more people interested in the music, an artist can then tour to more places and countries where they would make their profit.
There are always two sides of the story, and MTV Europe manages to create a compelling argument in a visually genius way.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Anti-download Advertising
- Opportunities exist to create informative and clever anti-download campaigns, disrupting the idea that illegal downloading helps musicians.
- Online Music Disruption
- Technologies and platforms can be developed that offer artists new ways to monetize their music, bringing more transparency to the industry and disrupting the way that music is accessed and shared online.
- Music Fan Support
- Opportunities exist for creating platforms that allow fans to support their favorite musicians directly, fostering a stronger connection between the artist and their fanbase, and disrupting traditional models of music distribution and monetization.
Sectors Adopting This
- Music Industry
- Anti-download advertising and online music platforms that allow artists to monetize their music present opportunities to disrupt the traditional music industry.
- Technology Industry
- The development of innovative platforms and technologies that support musicians and disrupt the traditional methods of music distribution create opportunities within the technology industry.
- Online Advertising Industry
- Creating clever and visually appealing anti-download advertising strategies creates opportunities for ad agencies to disrupt traditional advertising models and capture the attention of audiences.
